LPs from the Attic: Chixdiggit — Born on the 1st of July

Canadian band Chixdiggit (whose name is usually–appropriately–followed by an exclamation point on their album covers), with their boisterous and punchy strain of pop-punk, provided (and to date, continue to provide) a breath of fresh air in what would quickly become a stale genre. With a much-needed measure of wittiness and playfulness–along with the requisite amount of cynicism and swagger–their Born on the 1st of July recalls the early days of the skate- and pop-punk craze, when the genre’s top acts were actually talented and didn’t wear (so much) mascara and whine about being broken up with (okay, at least one song mentions break-up woes, and several songs are about girls, but you get my drift: there’s no trace of what came to be called “emo”).

The band’s sophomore outing offers 12 short, catchy blasts of Ramones-y fun. Standouts include the wry “My Girl Is Retro, “Chupacabras,” and the sing-a-long-friendly “Ohio.” Be sure to check the LP’s Tartakovsky-esque album art. In the interests of full disclosure, I’ll admit that I bought the record simply because I liked the graphic design; I ended up digging the music, and I’m only a casual fan of the style. Given that this album heightens my appreciation for it, I count that as a win-win. Or, maybe a win-win-win.

There are plenty of things you “haven’t got time for,” but take a few more seconds to read this punk-song-short trivia:

The band was formed based on the band name, which had been a play on words that ended up on t-shirts, which sold quickly….Not a single member had prior musical experience before deciding to take a little in-joke to an extreme conclusion.

I shamelessly included this review because I stumbled on this record and thought Brother-in-Tweed C.M. Tomlin might like this band.

Will definitely check them out, monsieur. As far as the name goes, it would seem they had only a margin of the success which their colleagues Barenaked Ladies enjoyed. Perhaps “Free Peel N’ Eat Shrimp” would have worked better.